As the new school year begins
for many of us, the importance of establishing a safe and productive school
climate based on positive relationships and prosocial interactions is
paramount.Concurrent with this is the
need to immediately integrate effective classroom management strategies into
every classroom where students learn the behavioral expectations, the classroom
routines, and how to work together in small and large group situations.

Three major barriers to this
process are:

*Studies of teacher training programs across
the country have long shown that these programs provide precious little
training in classroom management.Thus,
teachers are often on their own in a “trial by fire” process to find the
approaches that work best for them.

* When individual teachers at the same grade
level have different classroom management approaches, these can sometimes
compete with each other- - or even contradict and create significant levels of
cross-teacher inconsistency.Thus, “classroom
management” must be a (grade level) team effort where there are consistent
grade level expectations, incentives, and consequences that merge into consistent
school-wide practices.

The point is that
schools need to focus on a science-to-practice approach to school discipline
and classroom management where the goal is to consistently teach, motivate,
and hold students accountable for social, emotional, and behavioral
self-management skills in developmentally appropriate ways.

Simultaneously, schools need
a continuum of services, supports, programs, and strategies for students who
present high-frequency or high-intensity problem behaviors.This necessarily involves school staff (e.g.,
counselors, school psychologists, social workers, behavioral intervention and
other mental health specialists, special educators) with expertise in both
analyzing and intervening with these students, while providing consultation to
classroom teachers and administrators.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Frameworks versus Models

In order to accomplish the
points immediately above, districts and schools need to understand the
difference between a framework and a model.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary
defines framework as “A basic conceptual structure (as of ideas); a set
of ideas or facts that provide support for something.”

The same dictionary defines model
as “A structural design. . . that serves as a pattern of something to be made.”

Applied to education and,
specifically, school-wide discipline approaches, a framework simply
describes a way to conceptualize school discipline along with a number of
possible characteristics or strategies to create the structure.

A model- - and, especially, an evidence-based
model- - describes a field-tested and research-to-practice set of explicit
components and strategies that are systematically sequenced into an
implementation process that has demonstrated success.

Clearly, while guided by frameworks, districts and schools need
field-tested models of school discipline, classroom management, and student
self-management.We do not want to
do on a district or school level what some teachers (see above) are now doing
relative to classroom management- - that is, using trial-by-fire approaches
that will likely fail while then negatively impacting the classroom (or school’s)
academic program and students’ success.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

A New NEA Policy Brief on
Frameworks, Models, and Project ACHIEVE

Earlier this summer, the
National Education Association (NEA) published a new policy brief on Positive
Behavioral Interventions and Supports:A Multi-tiered Framework that Works for Every Student.In introducing the Brief, NEA President Lily
Eskelsen Garcia stated:

“The most effective
tool teachers have to handle problem behavior is to prevent it from occurring
in the first place. Positive Behavioral
Interventions and Supports (PBIS) programs help teachers recognize the
significance of classroom management and preventive school discipline to
maximize student success.PBIS
strategies are critical to providing all young people with the best learning
environment.”

In its introductory and a later
section, the Brief recognizes that the term “Positive Behavioral Supports”
(PBS) was, historically, the first term for describing positive school-wide
disciplinary practices- - beginning in the early 1990s; and that this term and
the term “School-wide Positive Behavioral Supports” (SWPBS) are the generic
terms for a set of school-wide approaches to related to school discipline,
student self-management, and a continuum of interventions for students with
challenging behavior.

The Brief then notes that the
generic PBS term evolved and was referenced in the 2004 reauthorization of our
country’s federal special education law (IDEA) as: “positive behavioral interventions
and supports” (lower case and without an acronym).The Brief then discusses the “Positive
Behavioral Interventions and Supports” (PBIS) framework that has been developed
through the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Program’s
national technical assistance center of the same name.

Critically (as differentiated in the Brief),
the national center’s PBIS approaches are organized as a framework (see
above) and not as a model.As
important is the fact that the national center’s PBIS framework (UPPER CASE) is not specifically what the federal
IDEA law was referencing when it advocated for (lower case) “positive behavioral interventions and supports”
approaches.

Ultimately, this new NEA Policy
Brief highlights Project ACHIEVE’s Positive Behavioral Support System (PBSS) as
an evidence-based model that “provides an explicit implementation sequence and
specific procedures and practices focused on clearly-defined outcomes.”Three Project ACHIEVE areas are specifically
described in the Brief: the PBSS model’s school-level goals, student-level
goals, and school and staff components.

The PBSS school-level goals
involve maximizing
students’ social, emotional, and behavioral self-management skills as
demonstrated by high and consistent levels of effective:

·Develop
and implement a preschool through high school “Health, Mental Health, and
Wellness” program guided by a scaffolded scope and sequence of courses,
curricula, modules, or experiences

·Systematically
teach students social, emotional, and behavioral skills consistent with their
developmental levels

·Identify
classroom and common school area behavioral expectations and standards for all
students, and develop and implement a school-wide behavioral accountability
system involving incentives and differentiated responses to progressive levels
of inappropriate student behavior

·Have
related service and other staff available to provide consultation to classroom
teachers, to complete functional assessments of behaviorally-challenging
students, and to help implement strategic or intensive instructional and
intervention services, supports, strategies, and programs to underachieving,
unresponsive, or unsuccessful students

·Reach
out to parents and engage community resources in areas and activities that
support students’ academic and social, emotional, and behavioral learning,
mastery, and proficiency

·Evaluate
the outcomes of PBSS activities, especially in the following areas:positive school and classroom climate; high
levels of student engagement and achievement; high levels of prosocial student
interactions; low levels of school and classroom discipline problems requiring
office discipline referrals or school suspensions or expulsions; low levels of
student drop-out rates (at the secondary level) or placements in alternative
schools or settings; high rates of student high school graduations and
post-secondary school successes

·Knowledge
and skill relative to determining why students are academically and/or behaviorally
underachieving, unresponsive, or unsuccessful in the classroom

·Collaborative
interactions with related services personnel (e.g., school counselors or psychologists)
or other assessment/intervention consultants

·Commitment
to implementing, with support, more strategic or intensive academic or behavioral
instruction or intervention to address specific student needs

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

More
Information and Summary

With everything that schools need to do- - in
general and, especially, at the beginning of the school year, it is important
that school-wide approaches that impact our classrooms, staff, and students be
field-tested and successful (a) at all levels (preschool through high school), (b)
in multiple settings (urban, suburban, and rural), and (c) with different
student bodies (from different cultural/racial, socioeconomic, and geographic
backgrounds).

While frameworks are important places to
begin, districts and schools need specific and sequenced models that have
demonstrated science-to-practice success.

We don’t
have time for experimentation.And, we
cannot afford false starts.

While there are a number of school-wide positive behavioral support
models, Project ACHIEVE’s model has been implemented (according to the NEA
Brief) “since 1990. . . in over 1,500 schools or district nationwide. . .(and)
was recognized in 2000 by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) as an
evidence-based model prevention program.”

Meanwhile, as you begin the new school year, I hope that this
information is useful to as you renew the educational journey of preparing our students not just
academically - - but socially, emotionally, and behaviorally.

I appreciate everything
that you do as educational leaders in our country.As always, if I can help your school(s) or
district in any of the areas related to this or previous Blog discussions,
please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sunday, August 9, 2015

The campaign season that will
elect our next President has clearly begun, and we have been hurled- - like it
or not- - into a teachable moment.The
teachable moment involves the issue of how candidates communicate their
differences and disagreements. . . with, for example, national policies and practices,
as well as with the proposals and beliefs of their fellow opponents.

While we are all too accustomed
to negative campaigns, “gotcha” questions, and personal attacks veiled as “character”
appraisals, we need to stop and think about how this all looks to our children
and adolescents.More specifically, as
we are trying to teach students how to get along with each other so that our
schools and classrooms are safe, positive, and productive, what is the message
when they see our Presidential candidates acting in boorish, inappropriate, if
not intolerable ways?

_ _ _ _ _

And so, let’s talk about Donald
Trump.And, understand, this is NOT
a political discussion or a commentary on his recommended policies, programs,
and plans.It is about his process.I could just as easily be discussing Jerry
Springer or any number of current TV or internet shows; some of our badly-behaving
athletes, musicians, or other pop-culture figures; or any number of other “role
models” that our students either look up to or are exposed to.

Bottom line: The “Donald” has crossed the line.Trump has crossed the line from (a) highlighting
differences in opinion and preference, to (b) engaging in negative campaigning
and personal attacks, to (c) making statements that reflect (at the very least)
an intolerance of gender and race - - that could easily generalize to an intolerance
of age, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, disability, or other
differences.

And he has done this while chiding
others who (he claims) are too “politically correct.”He has done this through generalization,
exaggeration, and largely without documentation.And even this morning, he has defended
himself, externalized his actions, and not taken responsibility for his words and
behavior.

But the explicit problem, once again,
is a concern that he is modeling and reinforcing behavior and actions that
are inappropriate, and that contradict everything we are trying to teach
our students to help them learn and use needed interpersonal, social
problem solving, conflict prevention and resolution, and emotional coping
skills in school (as well as in their homes and communities).

The implicit problem is that our
students may be interpreting Trump’s current political standing in the polls
and his apparent political popularity as a message that his behavior and
positions are acceptable and, in fact, valued by many adults in the general
public.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

How to Embrace this Teachable
Moment

In contrast with Jerry Springer
and some reality TV/internet shows, or with athletes or actors who have
committed crimes, the Presidential campaign is relevant to our schools and
students, and should be integrated into the classroom and relevant parts of our
curricula.

The recommendation here,
however, is to go beyond discussing the content-specific issues (like the
three branches of government, economic growth, international policy, issues
like immigration) to include process-specific issues.

These process-specific issues
include (a) how candidates interact with each other, the media, and the public;
(b) the positive versus negative tone of their statements, responses, and even
campaign ads; and (c) how they communicate a respect for individual, demographic,
class, and cultural differences.

These process-specific issues
can then be discussed relative to how students and staff in the school should interact
with each other - - individually, in small groups (like lab, project-based, or
cooperative groups), and in large groups (as in the classrooms or the common
areas of the school).This discussion
could emphasize how students and staff should model certain candidates’
approaches, while dismissing other candidates’ behavior.

And, these discussions should
include skill instruction and practice to help students learn how to:

* Communicate Clearly, Constructively, and
Courteously

*Discuss, Interrupt, Debate, Agree,
Compromise, and Disagree

*Collaborate, Cooperate, and
Accept Others’ Input and Opinions

*Respect Others, Be a Team
Player, and Take on Different Group Roles

*Ask for Help, and Accept
Frustration or Consequences

*Accept
Failure, Losing, and Being Wrong

*Show Confidence, Deal with Peer Pressure, and
Stand up for Self/Others

*Control and Express Emotions, and Respond to
Others’ Emotions

_ _ _ _ _

This skill instruction should
involve the following components:

* Teaching the specific skills and their
implementation steps

*Making sure that students understand and have
“bought into” the importance of using and demonstrating the skill

*Behaviorally modeling how to demonstrate the
appropriate behavioral steps (NOTE:while you can talk about inappropriate behavior and choices, you never
demonstrate them)

*Having students behaviorally practice and
role-play the skills, while giving them either positive or corrective feedback

*Having the students practice under role-played
“conditions of emotionality” so that they are able to handle such emotional
conditions when they actually occur

*Giving the students ongoing opportunities to remember,
practice, and apply the skills during actual instructional activities in the
classroom

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Conclusion

While I hate to suggest this, what would you do if Donald Trump were a
student in your classroom?While you
could send him to the Principal’s Office, suspend him, or put him into an
Alternative School Program, I doubt that this would change his behavior.

As a
psychologist, here is what I would begin to think about:

* If Donald’s behavior is simply impulsive or if
he lacks self-management skills, we would need to teach him these skills.While this may need to start on a one-on-one
basis, it eventually would need to transfer into the different settings and
situations across the school.

* If Donald’s behavior is motivated, let’s say,
for attention, we would need to ignore his inappropriate behavior, reinforce his
appropriate behavior (when it occurred), and hold him accountable for the inappropriate
behavior if it escalatedor became too
extreme.

* If
Donald’s behavior is occurring because some within his peer group are
reinforcing his inappropriate behavior, we would have to include them in the
intervention process.

* If
Donald’s behavior is occurring because no one is holding him accountable, then consistent
accountability (e.g., by all staff and administration) would need to
incorporated in the intervention.

* Finally, if Donald’s inappropriate behavior has
been strengthened due to inconsistent instruction, incentives or consequences, or
accountability - - across people, places, times, or circumstances, we would
need to address this “history of inconsistency” by eliminating the
inconsistency immediately, determining the best intervention, and implementing
that intervention past the history of inconsistency.

_ _ _ _ _

Obviously, if I were Donald Trump’s psychologist, I am sure that he
would fire me pretty quickly.I am also
sure that we are not going to change his behavior any time soon.

But,
we cannot afford to ignore his inappropriate behavior when it may be
inadvertently teaching and reinforcing our students to behave similarly.And we cannot allow our students to believe
that his inappropriate behavior is correct, condoned, or even celebrated.

Instead, we must seize and embrace this teachable moment on behalf of
our students.It is, quite simply, our
educational responsibility.

_ _ _ _ _

Believe it or not (for some of you), I shared the beginning of the new
school year this past week with one of the districts that I work with in
Kentucky.If you are still on vacation, I hope that
these thoughts will help your planning for the upcoming school year.If you are already back at school, please
consider these thoughts and the importance of preparing our students not just
academically - - but socially, emotionally, and behaviorally.

I appreciate everything
that you do as positive role models for our students.As always, if I can help your school(s) or
district in any of the areas related to this and previous discussions, please
do not hesitate to contact me.

Connecting with Howie

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About Me

Howard M. Knoff, Ph.D. is the creator and Director of Project ACHIEVE.After 22 years as a university professor and over 12 years as a federal grant director for a state department of education, he continues his national work as a full-time national consultant, author, and presenter.

Dr. Knoff is recognized nationwide as an expert in the following areas:

·School Improvement and
Turn-Around, Strategic Planning and Organizational Development

·Differentiated Academic
Instruction and Academic Interventions for Struggling Students

·Social, Emotional, and
Behavioral Instruction and Strategic and Intensive Interventions for Challenging
Students

·Multi-tiered (RtI)
Services, Supports, and Program

·Effective Professional
Development and On-Site Consultation and Technical Assistance

From 2003 through 2015, he was the Director of the federally-funded State Improvement Grant (SIG; 2003-2009) which then became the State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG; 2009-2015) for the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE). These grants funded the state-wide scale-up of Project ACHIEVE--especially its school improvement, positive behavioral support, and multi-tiered RtI service system components. Through the ADE's Elementary and Secondary Education Act flexibility process, Project ACHIEVE was the state's school improvement model for all Focus schools.

Prior to that, Dr. Knoff was a Professor of School Psychology at the University of South Florida (USF, Tampa, FL) for 18 years, and Director of its School Psychology Program for 12 years. He also was the creator and Director of the Institute for School Reform, Integrated Services, and Child Mental Health and Educational Policy at USF, and was instrumental in leading the program to the accreditation of its doctoral program by the American Psychological Association.

Project ACHIEVE is a nationally-recognized school
effectiveness/school improvement program that has been designated a National
Model Prevention Program by the U. S. Department of Health & Human
Service’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA).Over the past 30 years, Howie
has implemented Project ACHIEVE components in thousands of schools or school
districts—training in every state in the country.He has also been awarded over $21 million in
federal, state, or foundation grants for this work, and recently received two
School Climate Transformation grants and one Elementary and Secondary
Counseling grant from the federal government to support work in Pennsylvania,
Michigan, and Kentucky.

Dr. Knoff received his Ph.D. degree from
Syracuse University in 1980, and has worked as a practitioner, consultant,
licensed private psychologist, and university professor since 1978.Dr. Knoff is widely respected for his
research and writing on school reform and organizational change, consultation
and intervention processes, social skills and behavior management training,
Response-to-Intervention, and professional issues.

He has authored or co-authored 18 books,
published over 100 articles and book chapters, and delivered over 1,000 papers
and workshops nationally—including the Stop & Think Social Skills
Program (preschool through middle school editions) and the Stop &
Think Parent Book:A Guide to Children’s
Good Behavior through Cambium Learning/Sopris West Publishers and Project
ACHIEVE Press, respectively.

Dr. Knoff has a long history of working
with schools, districts, and community and state agencies and
organizations.For example, he has consulted with a number of state departments of
education, the Department of Defense Dependents School District during Desert
Storm in 1991, and the Southern Poverty Law Center.He has also served as an expert witness in
federal court five times, in addition to working on many other state and local
cases—largely for legal advocacy firms who are representing special education
and other students in need.

Specific to
school safety issues, Dr. Knoff was on the writing team that helped produce Early
Warning, Timely Response:A Guide to
Safe Schools, the document commissioned by President Clinton that was sent
to every school in the country in the Fall of 1998; and he participated in a
review capacity on the follow-up document, Safeguarding our Children: An
Action Guide.

A recipient of the Lightner Witmer Award
from the American Psychological Association's School Psychology Division for
early career contributions in 1990, and over $21 million in external grants
during his career, Dr. Knoff is a Fellow
of the American Psychological Association (School Psychology Division), a Nationally
Certified School Psychologist, a Licensed Psychologist in Arkansas, and he has
been trained in both crisis intervention and mediation processes.Frequently
interviewed in all areas of the media, Dr. Knoff has been on the NBC Nightly
News, numerous television and radio talk shows, and he was highlighted on an
ABC News' 20/20 program on "Being Teased, Taunted, and
Bullied."

Finally, Dr. Knoff was the 21st President of the National Association of
School Psychologists which now represents more than 25,000 school psychologists
nationwide. He is constantly sought after for his expertise in a wide variety of school,
psychological, and other professional issues. You can e-mail him at: knoffprojectachieve@earthlink.net